I’m always amazed at how climate bloggers blame the media every time the narrative isn’t to their liking. Joe Romm and Michael Tobis, on one side of the spectrum, are famous for this. They often complain of a press that gives too much credence to climate skeptics. Additionally, both have asserted that “climategate” was a…Continue Reading…
Over the years, Andrew Revkin has perceptively identified “slow drip” environmental stories as a category unto itself. These range from the tragic to the banal. It’s bad enough that these “slow drip” stories receive little sustained coverage; it’s worse when you write about them and nobody seems to notice. John Fleck, the superb science writer…Continue Reading…
I’m surprised Tobis didn’t include Fred Pearce in his little Broderite grouping. BTW, I’m just a piker compared to Revkin (and Pearce), both who are far more distinguished than me. Speaking of Pearce, a Bishop Hill reader provides a nice dispatch of a recent Pearce lecture at the Royal Institution. As for the Jay Rosen…Continue Reading…
Maybe I’m whistling Dixie with this modest attempt to bridge the climate divide. Consider what Nicholas Kristof wrote last year, in an op-ed column titled, The Daily Me: there’s pretty good evidence that we generally don’t truly want good information “” but rather information that confirms our prejudices. We may believe intellectually in the clash…Continue Reading…
Climate bloggers belong to one of the more politically relevant subcultures in the blogosphere. It’s hard to quantify to what degree they influence the public discourse on climate science and policy. Suffice to say: they matter. But I would argue that only the two opposite ends of the climate spectrum in the blogosphere are represented…Continue Reading…
Are traditional journalists who take a vow of objectivity walking around like libido-suppressed priests? Except that reporters struggle to keep a lid on their opinions? Here’s Matt Welch, a former UPI reporter, on the Helen Thomas eruption: I am tempted to feel bad for an 89-year-old lady getting caught in what might be passed off…Continue Reading…
UPDATE: Do check out the dynamic comment thread, where Andy Revkin makes a confession (and also a tart observation on journalistic peer review); John Fleck calls out a frequent critic of the science press; and Judith Curry corrects some blogospheric “misconceptions” of the media’s coverage of climate issues. Let me make this quick, because according…Continue Reading…
I’m a little late to this Wired profile on Energy Secretary Steven Chu, since I just started reading the May issue last night. For hardcore Chu watchers, probably not much is new, but the piece by Daniel Roth is still worth a read, if only to be reminded that the battle against global warming is…Continue Reading…
In the super-charged, heavily politicized climate change debate, we journalists often find ourselves getting scorched from all sides: We suck, we’re biased, we’re stupid, we’re clueless, we’re a pack of conflict junkies, a blob of false-balance jello. Yeah, we’ve heard it all. So what about it? It’s all true. But not all the time. Which…Continue Reading…
There’s big news today that will reinforce the hardening belief among many climate scientists and climate advocates that there is nothing constructive to be learned from climategate. That would be a huge mistake. Alas, perhaps the die is already cast. In the volatile climate change debate, journalism has come under increasing attack in the blogosphere…Continue Reading…